Bukayo Saka has his mind firmly on winning the Premier League with his boyhood club, but Rio Ferdinand thinks the Arsenal winger has another pressing thought.
When Saka famously said, ‘You deserve more Arsenal fans’ amid a series of struggles back in 2020, he took it seriously.
The 24-year-old is as committed as they come, so much so that Saka is close to signing a new deal at Arsenal.
In fans’ eyes, the Hale End product can do very little wrong; however, if there’s one thing supporters would like to see more of, it’s goals.
Is there any current player you love more than Bukayo Saka, if yes, who and why?
Rio Ferdinand reckons Bukayo Saka thinks he needs to be doing more at Arsenal
Thomas Tuchel wants more goals from Saka at international level, which is the same demand the player might have for himself domestically.
That’s the opinion of Rio Ferdinand, who spoke about Saka’s output when discussing the Englishman on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast.
“I’m going to look at it if I’m sitting in Saka’s shoes. Of course, he wants to score more goals. Of course, he wants to score to get more assists,” Ferdinand said.
Saka has contributed to just seven goals in 20 Premier League appearances in 2025/26 thus far, a tally that Ferdinand knows is below the winger’s standards.
“He set a bar. His bar is much higher than that, right? So, he will be sitting there going, “You know what? I should be doing more than this and better than this, but we’re top of the league, and I’ve got a chance of getting a winners’ medal.”
Fill the blanks, Bukayo Saka should be scoring __ goals a season at Arsenal.
The Manchester United legend then shared his opinion that Saka would sacrifice a high-scoring season for a Premier League medal, which could happen this year.
“I think he would take a season with his foot off the gas a little bit to get a trophy, to win a league 100%.
“So, that’s the way that I think he has to look at it. I think, listen, he’ll be trying everything behind the scenes to get himself back up and running, kicking it in terms of form.”
Ferdinand shares what he honestly thinks of Saka’s season so far
Saka has been tremendous in some games this season, but the fact remains that he and his teammates aren’t contributing enough when it comes to goals.
If you were Mikel Arteta, how would you solve this problem?
Ferdinand said just that when summarising what he thinks of Saka’s season so far.
“Listen, I don’t think his form’s been that bad in terms of him playing. I just think his numbers aren’t as good as what they were,” he concluded.
Love him or loathe him, Ferdinand was right, as while Saka has been Arsenal’s heartbeat in attack, the numbers don’t match his effort.
More goals are needed, as are assists, and fortunately, the Englishman has plenty of time to increase his output, which will only take the Gunners closer to claiming silverware.
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